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Friday, October 07, 2005

ADVERBIAL CLAUSES OF PLACE

These clauses refer to the PLACE where the main clause occurred. Most adverbial clauses of place are introduced by the subordinating conjunctions WHERE or WHEREVER.

e.g. THEY WENT WHEREVER THEY COULD FIND WORK.- “wherever they could find work” modifies the main clause in terms of place.- “went” is an intransitive verb that usually requires an adverbial idea.

e.g. WHERE THE FIRE HAD BEEN, WE SAW NOTHING BUT THE BLACKENED RUINS. - “Where the fire had been” modifies the main clause in terms of place.

WHERE can be misleading due to the fact it can be used as a subordinating conjunction in NOUN CLAUSES.

e.g. THE POLICE NEVER FOUND WHERE THE MONEY HAD BEEN HIDDEN. - “where the money had been hidden” is the direct object of the transitive verb “find.” Therefore, it is not an adverbial clause of time, but rather a finite noun clause working as a direct object.

WHERE can also be used as a RELATIVE PRONOUN.

e.g. THIS IS THE DEPARTMENT WHERE WE DEAL WITH CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS. - “where we deal with customer complaints” is qualifying the noun phrase “the department.” - As “the department” is a vague idea, the clause in question is restricting it. With this, it is a finite restrictive adjective clause.

And, WHERE can be used as a COORDINATING CONJUNCTION.

e.g. HE WALKED UP TO THE IMMIGRATION DESK, WHERE HE BEGAN EXPLAINING THE MIX-UP. - “where he began explaining the mix-up” does NOT describe “the immigration desk”, therefore, the word where is NOT working as a relative pronoun.- “where he began explaining the mix-up” does NOT modify where “he walked”, therefore, it is not an adverbial clause of time.- WHERE can be substituted by the word AND, thus proving it is working as a COORDINATING CONJUNCTION. “He walked up to the immigration desk, and (he) began explaining the mix-up).”